Benefits of choosing a fostering career with Blue Sky
In addition to the training and fostering allowance, fostering with Blue Sky offers unrivalled support with the following:
Fostering as a career
If you decide to become a foster carer, you will embark on a fulfilling career helping vulnerable children in ways that will change their lives. Your work will have a genuine long-lasting impact.
Fostering as a career
Many of our foster carers tell us that fostering is a 'calling', and they all have an underlying desire to make a difference in the lives of young people.
Whilst much of the foster carer's role involves parenting the young person, you'll also be expected to work with other professionals, including social workers, support workers and sometimes counsellors and therapists. You'll need to be available to attend meetings and write reports on the behaviours expressed and milestones reached by your young person.
You don't need previous experience working with young people or being a parent to become a foster carer. Our current foster carers come from various previous careers, including taxi drivers, prison officers and office administrators.
How much do foster carers get paid?
You will get paid a ‘fostering allowance’ as a foster carer. The fostering allowance covers the professional fee to you as a foster carer. Also, it covers the cost of caring for young people, for example, buying clothes, treats and school trips.
Fostering with Blue Sky means you’ll receive a generous regular allowance per young person. This depends on your experience as a foster carer and the type of placement you are looking after.
Both tax exemption and tax relief are available for the fostering allowance, more details of which can be found on the government website. Click here.
What are the training requirements?
Working with young people in foster care means you become a member of a professional team working towards the young person's health, happiness and stability.
We acknowledge this is a demanding role and provide you with an ongoing training and support program based on your requirements and the challenges your young person may face. Examples of some training you will be expected to undertake include:
Skills To Foster
A comprehensive training programme covering the essentials of becoming a foster carer, helping young people deal with change, first aid and safe caring and attachment styles.
Understanding Attachments
This two-day course rooted in psychological theory helps you to understand why some young people may present more challenging behaviours or find it harder to fit within a conventional family environment. It gives practical guidance on reaching these misunderstood young people and the chance to share tips with other foster carers.
On this page
14 days paid holiday (respite) per year, so you can have a rest from fostering.
Phone calls and visits from your social worker as regularly as needed.
Fortnightly supervision with your social worker – giving you special time to think about your role.
Monthly support meetings with a small group of like-minded foster carers and your social worker
Out-of-Hours service – access to a social worker who knows you and your child, 24/7, 365 days a year
Family outings and social events for all foster carers, your family and colleagues. We are family!
Support from social work assistants when the going gets tough
Activities and groups for your birth children to ensure they have a chance to talk to other children
Allowance calculator
You will receive recurrent payments for providing foster care. Use our allowance calculator to estimate how much something would actually entail.
Allowance and benefits
Fostering with Blue Sky...
...allows you to be valued and recognised for your contribution to supporting young people and to foster a small, local, friendly and professional agency dedicated to working alongside you.
